I Used To Write A Newspaper Column

Not that I am old or anything, but I used to write a monthly column in the newspaper. Ah yes, the illustrious Los Alamos Monitor. It's kind of hard to imagine. I mean it was the late 1990s, so the web did exist, but especially in a small town the local paper was important. I wrote about the teenage experience and views on local politics from the high school. (The one high school.)

It was fun to write and a lot of folks in the community used to come up to me afterward each one was published and talk to me about the columns. However, I was always stretching for topics and I often was writing the column right before deadline. I guess that was just like a real journalist. Now, I am trying to get back into the swing of regular writing with this blog here. I need to publish more frequently, though. I did learn one thing since then, I have a list of topics in Evernote. I think that will help me keep up.

I think the real purpose of this post, however, is focused on the oft-written about demise of newspapers. Well, I still love the newspaper. I get a real paper Wall Street Journal Monday through Saturday and the Sunday LA Times. For a 30-year-old, I am a dinosaur. I love my iPhone, iPad, and MacBook. I do read news on them everyday, but to me, there is something about sitting down to breakfast and reading a real newspaper.

Sure, I wish it wouldn't get wet from the rain or sprinklers sometimes, but there is something very endearing about the physical touch. Maybe it's because I was a paperboy for quite a few years.

My 3-year-old is pretty into the newspaper as well. She sees her parents reading it and she wants to check it out. Her favorite part is probably the Target circular, though, not the investing section. Well, she does like the Sports page. I do wonder, will any papers exist when she is 15 or 30? Not in their current form. Will we still call them papers even if they only publish online? I hope they do exist. I appreciate the real reporting and journalism. I don't want just a series of personal stories (what the tech blog are) and have everyone think that's journalism. I want real reporting, with real meaning, depth and research. I am willing to pay for this.

Some content should be free (like this blog!), but for the stuff that takes hours and real work–let's compensate people for doing a great job and let's enjoy it on any medium we can.